11-Year-Old Charged With Murder in Double Shooting That Left 2 Dead

Authorities say a 50-year-old woman was dead at the scene and a 48-year-old man later succumbed to his injuries after they were shot, allegedly by an 11-year-old suspect

By Mike Pescaro and Karla Rendon-Alvarez •Published March 15, 2019•Updated on March 16, 2019 at 7:28 pm

What to Know

An 11-year-old is in police custody in connection to a double shooting on Friday morning in Alton, New Hampshire.

The Union Leader reports that one of the shooting victims has died.

Two local schools were temporarily placed in lockdown in the wake of the incident.

An 11-year-old is in custody after allegedly killing two adults in a shooting Friday in the Lakes Region town of Alton, New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office said Friday night that 50-year-old Lizette Eckert, who had suffered a gunshot wound, was found dead after police responded to a 911 call on Dobbins Way around 7:30 a.m. Her husband, James Eckert, 48, was also found shot.

James Eckert was taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead later Friday night, the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office said.

U.S. & World

An autopsy was completed Saturday on Lizette Eckert. The manner of her death was ruled a homicide and the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head.

An autopsy has been scheduled Monday for James Eckert.

According to Geoffrey Ward, a senior assistant attorney general, the juvenile suspect was apprehended around 9:30 a.m. He was charged with one count of reckless second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. The charges filed are under the juvenile system. It's not immediately clear if he'll face additional charges now that James Eckert has died from his injuries.

Because of the suspect's age, Ward said limited information would be made available to the public.

Officials said there is no danger to the general public.

The nearby Alton Central and Prospect Mountain High schools were placed in lockdown during the time when Ward said authorities were searching for the suspect.

"There is no current threat to ACS," Alton Central School Principal John MacArthur said in an email. "As a precautionary measure we have activated a secure campus. Nobody is permitted in or out of the building until we are given an all clear."

State police tweeted around 9:45 a.m. that the "critical incident" had come to a conclusion and the schools lifted the lockdowns shortly after.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call New Hampshire State Police at 603-223-4381.